British athletes need freedom of expression in Beijing – Amnesty International

British athletes’ rights to free expression must be upheld at the Beijing Olympic Games, Amnesty International has said.

The UK chief executive of the human rights organisation, Sacha Deshmukh, has written to his counterpart at the British Olympic Association, Andy Anson, urging the BOA to avoid placing restrictions on athletes.

Amnesty said campaign messages, such as the ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ T-shirts and banners which were initially banned by organisers of the Australian Open tennis tournament, must be supported by the BOA.

If the British Olympic Association resorts to muzzling athletes it will be complicit in China’s sportswashing attempts and complicit in its massive programme of systematic human rights abuse.- Amnesty UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh

The letter provided Anson with an update on the “intensifying” suppression of human rights in China, citing the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province, the crackdown on democratic protests in Hong Kong and continuing concerns over tennis star Peng Shuai’s freedom and well-being.

The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday that its representatives had spoken to Peng last week and were planning to meet her in Beijing next week, but has faced criticism over its handling of her situation.

Deshmukh said: “The British Olympic Association mustn’t repeat the Australian Open’s disastrous T-shirt ban and should instead support Team GB athletes wanting to speak about human rights in China.

“From the industrial-scale detention and torture of Uyghur people in Xinjiang, to the jailing of protesters in Hong Kong – these Games are taking place in the shadow of China’s horrific human rights abuses.

“If the British Olympic Association resorts to muzzling